Progressive Eyeglasses & Photography

I'm well over 40 have been wearing progressive lenses in my eyeglasses for a while now. I notice when looking through the viewfinder that I'm not able to focus my eyes as much as I want or need to. I'm sure someone else has experienced this. If so, what do you do about it? Thanks!

My camera (Canon 50D) has a diopter adjustment that works well. I also use progressive lenses, but sometimes I forget to take my glasses when I go shooting (another age-related problem). It looks to me as if the autofocus isn't working, but changing the diopter setting fixes that.

I wore varifocal glasss for years. I had eye surgery 3 years ago and had the lens in my eyes replaced. I was 49 at the time and had tiny cataracts in both eyes. I would have needed cataract surgery down the line and elected to have it done privately to get the benefits sooner.

I need glasses for reading but am otherwise glasses free. I know this is off topic but I struggled with glasses and cameras for years - having the surgery was liberating and solved the “perch the glasses on top of your head while shooting then drop them “ syndrome we have all encountered.

That's a really good question, and I have wondered about it myself. What I have found is that in general, if I adjust the diopter so that what I perceive is sharp when the autofocus says it's in focus, my pics will be well focused when I go to process them. I don't know enough about optics or perception to analyze the problem scientifically, but it seems to work for me.

My first thought is that one cannot rely on what you see on the LCD to really determine if your image is truly sharp even if you don't wear glasses - Yes, if you take the time, you can magnify the small LCD image on your camera and see if it appears sharp, or use a Hoodman magnifying device, but long experience has taught me that I only truly know when I get the image on my large 30 inch monitor. I have been fooled by what I thought were sharp LCD images that weren't when examined on my monitor at home.

And frequently, when I am shooting wildlife, I don't have the time to check my LCD as I am too busy capturing images. I can only chimp when the action slows down. I do try to verify the accuracy of the AF system of each camera body periodically, so that I can have complete trust in them when push comes to shove.

I do wear bifocals, and I have for many years, so I am aware of the aggravation that presbyopia causes. If your bifocals lenses are correct, you should be able to see the image on the LCD sharply with them, and if spectacles are correct for distance, you should be able to see that AF is working through the view finder through the distance portion of your lenses.

Yes, if cataracts are the source of your frustration, glasses aren't going to fully resolve that until you have cataract surgery.

I don't like to wear sunglasses ( or Transition lenses that get dark in sunlight ) when photographing - I think they do really interfere with seeing well in the viewfinder, especially when the ambient light is dim - before sunrise, after sunset, etc - I carry a spare set of bifocals without any tint for that reason, The lenses corrections for distance and near in my transparent glasses are the same as my Transition lens glasses that I use for driving, only the color of the lenses is different.

Modern AF systems are truly remarkable, being able to capture birds in flight after sunset is truly an incredible optical task -

If you have a large distance correction in your glasses, doing without your glasses as some have suggested won't work for you - you will have to adjust to wearing your bifocals ( progressive lenses are bifocals ) to look through the viewfinder - if you cannot see your LCD with your glasses you may need to have your bifocal lens heights adjusted. If you cannot get this resolved on your own, discuss it with your optician or optometrist - they should be able to help you get this resolved. If you wear contact lenses, your distance vision should be correct, but you may have difficulty with near - bifocal contact lenses exist, but they require many compromises from the user I think.

One other suggestion, carry a microfibre cloth and some lens cleaning solution in a pocket or your camera bag - I find my glasses get smeary, caught between my viewfinder and my eye lids and lashes - and cleaning them does help me see better when needed.

My first thought is that one cannot rely on what you see on the LCD to really determine if your image is truly sharp even if you don't wear glasses

Agreed, I rely on focus peaking on my Sony mirrorless, and when shoot video, I use a 7" HDMI display with built-in focus peaking that is much better than the internal EVF's focus peaking. I use a 700 Small HD display. It's 1000x better than looking through the view finder, and it's been game changing for nailing focus on video productions.

I still use an viewfinder, so I failed to reflect on videographers and camera video monitors of the 5-7 inch size - If one has a significant refractive error, they will still need distance correction for far, and a bifocal/progessive lens of some value for the larger LCD screen they are using, if they are over 45ish, and presbyopic.

Focus peaking can be a great aid as well.

Your link for Small Display is very interesting, and exactly what I would avail myself of. I just spent my morning reviewing their story and their gear - very impressive. A 502 Bright might even be in my future. I own a Sony non-interchangeabe lens camea, but video takes more patience than I have usually. Maybe a better monitor might change that.

I have several friends ragging me because I still persist in shooting Canon, but I struggle along with what I am used to and find an occasional truffle....

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